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| Bangladesh |
| Comments made against atheists and sects are hateful and should be resisted |
| 2014-04-23 |
| [Dhaka Tribune] The extraordinary demand made by Hefazat Secretary General Junaid Babunagari, that followers of minority Islamic sects such as Ahmadiyya and Ahle Hadith should be banned, and that atheists should not be allowed to live in Bangladesh, cannot be allowed to go unchallenged. We are confident most Bangladeshis, regardless of their faith and background, value the spirit and letter of Bangladesh as a free country which constitutionally guarantees freedoms of belief and religion. Moreover, many devout Moslems would disagree with such calls on the Koranic basis that there should be no compulsion in religion. As a religious body, his organization may be expected by its followers to disagree with or even dislike contrary religious opinions. However the comments made against atheists, non-Moslems, and Moslems of sects, with which the Hefazat does not agree, are hateful rhetoric which should be resisted. There is no justification for the state to ban minority sects of any faith. The Hefazat leader's accompanying remark that Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and people from other religions can still live in the country should not be taken as any form of moderation. By using blood--curdling language to describe and threaten non-believers and those with whom he disagrees, he opens the door to discrimination and persecution. All people, whatever their beliefs, or lack of them, deserve equal protection under the law. There is no room in Bangladesh for the state to discriminate between citizens on the basis of their religious beliefs or practices. |
| Posted by:Fred |